


Alive Again

by Byohazrd13



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2018-09-26 04:48:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9863609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Byohazrd13/pseuds/Byohazrd13
Summary: Waking up very much alive with only a name and address in his pocket, and too ashamed to go back to his Captain, Chris Redfield, Piers Nivans reaches out to the person most likely to understand his situation, Leon S. Kennedy. Returning from the dead can be difficult, but so can coming to terms with your own demons, let alone the government's. Worse yet, there are still dangers lurking in the world known as Neo Umbrella. The shadows of the past can come back to haunt a person. However, Piers has an unwanted guardian angel looking out for him.





	1. Respit

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work in progress passion project. I've been working on this for well over a year, and haven't gotten very far, so don't expect regular updates. I'll try to update once a month because this is slow going.
> 
> This work of fanfiction was borne of my own ideas on the C virus and how I don't think that the destruction of the underwater rig at the end of Chris' campaign was enough to kill Piers. I mean, the C-virus infected under Tall Oaks Cathedral don't drown underwater, and look at how much damage Simmons took before he died. This is really just my "How Piers survived" story to give me a chance to bring him back.

Piers had traveled extremely far, without much money, or real shelter. He'd picked up odd jobs along the way, making just enough to scrounge food, or a ride. Finally the young soldier had made it to DC, and had found the address he was looking for. This journey could have been over weeks ago had he had the courage to knock on Chris' door. However, seeing his captain through his window had filled him with guilt for what he'd done to himself, and Piers couldn't bear it. He'd just pulled his hoodie up tighter and walked on.

 

Now, standing on a street as the sun set, he stared up at an apartment in Washington, just blocks from the White House. No lights were being turned on, so he guessed the man who lived there was still at work. Agent Kennedy was his best hope for someone to be reasonable about his infection.

 

The former B.S.A.A. soldier had read Kennedy's reports, and knew the man had a keen understanding of those living with a virus they didn't choose. Well, Piers had willingly injected himself with the C-virus, but he hadn't had a choice at the time. He had tried to do himself in in that collapsing facility, but had found himself unable to drown, and had regenerated from his injuries from battle, and the structure collapse. Now, he had no choice but to live on. Somehow. Kennedy had assisted others like him though, the young women, Birkin and Hidalgo, Kozachenko, and had even been host to the Las Plagas parasite himself. If anyone would help him, it would be Leon.

 

However, Piers had no idea when the man would return. He was getting cold, and extremely drowsy, an ill effect of weeks without proper sleep. Glancing around, he saw no one nearby, and noticed the fire-escape leading up to a window. If Piers could jimmy the thing open, he could get inside and wait safely. Jumping up, and climbing the metal frame, Piers was able to reach the window easily enough. He was about to pull out a pocket knife to try and move the mechanism, when he noticed it wasn't latched. This was very bizarre for a government agent, and he glanced around again before opening the window. As he did, he noticed many marks from a knife, someone had broken in numerous times, obviously. It seemed like either they were there currently, or Kennedy had given up trying to keep them out.

 

Hoping it was the latter, Piers slid the window up as silently as possible, and slipped inside. Looking around, he was surprised by how neat the place was kept. Suddenly, a shadow came out of nowhere, and Piers froze as he heard a growl. Oh... this was why Kennedy didn't worry about the window. The agent had a dog. Fortunately, the dog didn't come after him, just stood there growling at the intruder. Slowly, very slowly, Piers used his most non-threatening posture, and reached out to let the dog smell him. After a tense moment, he felt wetness on his outstretched hand. Seems the dog didn't mind him. That was a plus. The animal shifted in the light, and Piers could make out a white, fluffy coat. Something like a mix between shepherd, husky, and a golden retriever. Figured.

 

Closing the window and making his way further into the apartment, Piers quickly got a sense for Kennedy. He liked being comfortable, but didn't strive for luxury by any means. He was neat, and organized, but managed to relax enough to actually live in the place. He had a cocky side, but was more apt to be quiet and reserved. He was well-read though, his book-shelf stocked well, including the complete works of Doyle. Obviously wanted to be a detective at some point. The kitchen wasn't a disappointment either, and Piers grabbed a small granola bar to tide over his loudly complaining stomach, and drank a glass of water.

 

Heading into the living room, he seated himself in a chair easily seen from the door, and waited. Yawning, the young soldier started nodding off, and unconsciously curled up in the chair, kicking his shoes off, quickly falling asleep.

 

\---

 

It was near 10:00pm when Leon finally got home. The day had been hectic, nee chaotic. Running him back and forth all over the place before finally sticking him with overtime and paperwork. He was dragging and tired as he opened the door. Taking him a moment longer than it should have, he spotted the figure in his chair. Instinctively drawing his gun, he trained it on the man. Realizing the intruder was asleep, and that his dog, Sera, had curled up at the foot of the chair, he closed the door quietly. Some guard dog he had, curling up with an intruder. Then again, perhaps Ada’s constant break-ins had desensitized her to it. Then again, a human man was a far cry from an El Gigante. Creeping towards the man in his chair, gun still drawn and at the ready, he tried to make out the face, but he was wearing a hood. Reaching out with his left hand, he tapped the man on the shoulder gently, rousing him slowly, and calmly.

 

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Leon asked as the other started moving. The young man looked up at him, seemingly too tired to care about the gun in the agent's hand. Though, as the young man's face was revealed, Leon felt his whole body go cold, as if he'd seen a ghost. He recognized the face instantly, despite the pink scars branching up his face like thick vines, and the discolored icy blue eye. This was Chris Redfield's partner back in China, the one who'd died on the underwater oil rig.

 

"Piers? Piers Nivans?" Leon asked, shock and surprise in his voice. The young man in his chair noded, pushing his hood back, eyes finally falling to the gun. The agent sighed, lowering his weapon, and looked over the soldier curled up in his chair. Chris had confided in him that the young man had been infected, which would explain a lot. Leon knew he should be cautious of that infection, but that didn't mean he couldn't treat Piers like a human being.

 

"You hungry?" The older man asked, a small, amicable smile on his face. Tiredly, Piers nodded again, and Leon's smile grew. "Okay, I'll fix you something."

 

Piers sat in the chair, drifting in and out of sleep, vaguely aware of the sounds the genial man was making in the kitchen. Finally, the wafting scent of cooking beef roused him to alertness. Even after all his time spent traveling, and as exhausted as he was, his hunger trumped his need for sleep. Pulling his body out of the chair, Piers went to investigate the scent. Noticing the younger man peeking into his kitchen, Leon smiled.

 

"So, you're finally awake." He commented, glancing over at the other.

 

"It smells good." Piers commented quietly, indicating the food was what had woken him.

 

"It'll be done soon. Feel free to get your plate ready." Leon promised, flipping the burgers in the pan, gesturing to the plates, buns, and fixings that had been set out. Affording the other survivor some normalcy, he staved off his desire to question him about his sudden appearance in his apartment, and seeming return from the dead. That could wait for full stomachs.

 

"Thank you, Agent Kennedy." Piers rasped slightly, his voice as tired as he was. Washing his hands, he got out a bun, and started placing the things he liked on it.

 

"Please, call me Leon." The fellow survivor offered, removing the formality between them. That, and being called “Agent Kennedy” was something he'd rather leave behind in Spain with the deaths of Salazar and Saddler. Nowadays, it just creeped him out to be called such. Nodding, Piers made note that Leon was a casual sort of person, and wished to be addressed as such. Or maybe he was just trying to put him at ease. It worked though.

 

While the patties finished cooking, Leon got out his own bun, saving his fixings for later. He then placed a patty on each bun, before breaking up a third, smaller one and placing it in his dog's bowl as a rare treat for her. Once they both had their burgers fixed, Leon gestured for them to sit at the table. Piers' stomach let out a loud complaint, and he went to dig in, ravenous in his hunger.

 

"Don't eat it too fast. If you haven't eaten in awhile, you'll make yourself sick." Leon warned, and Piers stopped a moment, looking at Leon before slowing down despite his stomach's complaints. Once they had both calmed down, Leon decided it was time to ask.

 

"So, Piers. How are you in my apartment?" Leon finally asked, watching the young soldier devour his food. Piers looked up at Leon, swallowing as quickly as he could.

 

"Through the window..." The younger admitted sheepishly. Leon shook his head though.

 

"I mean how are you sitting here? I attended your memorial service." The agent clarified, tilting his head.

 

"Oh... That." Looking down, this was the part Piers had been dreading. "How much did Captain Redfield tell you?"

 

"The official story is that you threw yourself in front of the BOW, and died saving Chris." Leon informed Piers, a stern expression on his face. "Though Chris told me different. He said it grabbed you by the arm because you were protecting him, and your shoulder was impaled when it threw you. He also told me that you infected yourself with a strain of the C-Virus to get back on your feet and fight it. According to him, you also killed the BOW, and sent him home without you. Said you went down with the rig." The agent recounted, watching as Piers' face fell even further.

 

"How did you survive? How did you make it out? Why come to me instead of Chris?" Leon finally asked, still watching Piers. "Chris thought for sure you'd drown, or been crushed to death."

 

"I did... I was... I tried to die in that place. I was so ashamed of what I'd become... What I did to myself. It didn't work though. It turns out that I can't drown. And my body regenerates from damage... I woke up on a beach with your address in my pocket. I don't know how it got there." Piers confessed, and Leon tilted his head in mild confusion at the mention of a mysteriously appearing note. It then hit the agent like a ton of bricks.

 

"By any chance was the window unlocked when you got here?" The agent asked, tilting his head, curiosity in his eyes.

 

"Yes, actually. It was. Why?" Piers asked, looking up at Leon, decidedly confused.

 

"You have a guardian Angel on your shoulder who wants me to look out for you. You're lucky, Kid, she doesn't do this for just anyone." Leon told him, an amused look on his face. The woman he and Chris had been so hell bent on killing had directed him to Leon. It was likely she’d had a hand in getting him out of the facility as well. "I'll put you up for the night, and we'll figure out what to do in the morning, okay?"

 

"Thank you... you have no idea how much this means to me." Piers proclaimed his thanks, his whole demeanor having lit up.

 

"Just... Tell me one thing. Why not go to Chris?" Leon asked, having a feeling he knew the answer.

 

"Well... you see... I uh..." Piers started sheepishly, playing with the drawstring of his hoodie.

 

"Relax, this isn't a Court Marshall. I'm just curious." Leon placated, and Piers nodded, clearly put at ease by the agent's relaxed manner.

 

"I uh... I meant to, originally... I got all the way to his house. I was about to go up to his door, and I saw him through the window. I felt so guilty over what I'd done to myself... I've become the thing he hates, the thing he spends his life fighting against. I just couldn't do it."  Piers explained, looking down again, obviously ashamed of himself.

 

Heaving a sigh, Leon ran his fingers through his hair tiredly. That's what he had been afraid of. Nodding, he knew he needed to set Piers at ease.

 

“It's okay to be afraid, Piers. Chris will understand, I'm sure of it. Just give it time.” Leon told him, easing Piers into the truth about his Captain. Perhaps tomorrow, he'd tell Piers what Chris had told him. That Captain Redfield had had every intention of bringing Piers home from that facility, infected or not. Perhaps he’d tell him that after all these years, Jill was still infected too, and that if Chris wasn’t judging her, he certainly wasn’t judging Piers either.

 

“I hope you're right.” Piers said quietly, his usual demeanor mired by exhaustion and grief. Finishing his meal in silence, to Leon, the young man seemed more a ghost of his former self like this.

 

Once they had both finished eating, Leon collected both their plates, and moved them to the kitchen. He knew he had to get Piers put to bed before anything else. The young man looked like he was about to fall asleep at the table.

 

“Let me go get you a fresh change of clothes. You look like you need sleep.” Leon told him, and was met with a small nod as Piers seemed to try to curl in on himself and shivered. Disappearing into his bedroom, Leon found a pair of clean clothes, and the extra sheets and blankets for his fold out couch. Returning to the kitchen, he put a hand on Piers' shoulder lightly to rouse him from where he'd drifted again.

 

“Hey, here's some fresh clothes, you can take the bed. I think you need it more than I do tonight. I put out fresh towels if you wanted a shower as well.” Leon told him as he handed Piers a small pile of clean clothes, then went to fix his own place to sleep.

 

“Thank you, Leon.” Piers smiled as best he could manage, then pulled himself up to go change. “Thanks for all this… and for not freaking out.”

 

“It's no problem. Go on, go get some rest. You deserve it.” Leon told him with an amused smile at the habitual soldier. In his time, he'd seen too many good people lose their lives over these viruses. If he could help Piers, maybe it was a small victory.

 

Heading to the bathroom to shower after grabbing the clothes laid out for him, Piers closed the door and started to strip off his worn clothes. Getting his hoodie off, he pulled his long sleeved shirt off next. This exposed the pink scarring along the right side of his torso and up his neck, branching out like roots of a tree. Taking a moment to look in the mirror, Piers ran his left hand over the regrown arm, the flesh of which was still pink and soft. Perhaps he wasn't really scarred in the pattern of his mutation's branching tendrils, maybe it was just fresh skin.

 

Shaking his head to chase the thoughts, Piers finished undressing and stepped into the shower. His body was desperately begging for sleep, but he needed this too. Needed to be clean and rid of filth and dirt from his travels before he could rest properly.

 

The hot water felt good on his aching muscles, even though his arm protested the heat on tender skin. Piers borrowed Leon's bottle of shower gel, the scent was clean and helped the young man relax some of the tension of the road.

 

Grabbing a fresh towel, he dried off, and quickly dressed in the borrowed clothes. Fortunately, he and Leon seemed to be roughly the same size, as the clothes were a decent fit, if only a little loose. Not at all like the time Piers had been forced to borrow one of Chris's shirts, which had engulfed him entirely.

  
Practically falling into bed, barely bothering with the covers aside from haphazardly pulling them over himself. Immediately, the exhausted young man quickly fell into a deep sleep. In the living room, Leon was not far behind him, curling up with his dog.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon enlists help in his newfound situation. He then has a long chat with Piers about the situation at hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I do have quite a bit more written at this point, but I'm a slow writer, so I'm using what I have written as a cushion so I can stay ahead with my writing. I'll try to post once a month, but I might just be guessing at when a month has passed, because I'm bad like that. Just bear with me, I promise you this is a passion project for me, and I'm not going to give up on this story.

The morning found Leon up early, though not as early as usual due to the late hour at which he'd gone to bed. It was obvious to him his entire morning schedule would be changing due to his unexpected guest. There was simply no way he could show up at the White House with an infected, he'd have to ask Helena to take his duties this morning. So Leon decided to go for his usual run to clear his head, regardless of the time. A few weeks prior, he'd actually discovered that Helena lived not far off his route, so maybe he'd ask her in person, and better explain the situation.

Sneaking in to grab his running clothes and shoes, he wasn't surprised to find Piers asleep like a rock still. As he was about to leave, Sera jumped up on the bed, and curled up with the young man. Normally, Leon would think she just didn't want to come with him on his run. Though, in Piers’ case, she was behaving like she did for Leon when he was having a bad night.

“Alright girl. Take care of him while I'm out.” Leon smiled and nodded at the dog, and closed the door behind him.

After getting dressed, Leon left a note for Piers that he'd gone running, and to take the dog out if he got up before Leon's return, as she’d elected to do her service job for Piers instead.

The morning air was brisk as he started on his early run. Going the long away around to pass Helena's place on the return. Half of it was putting off going to her door unannounced, and the other half was to make sure he'd gotten at least the majority of his exercise just in case she reprimanded him for leaving Piers alone.

Finally getting to his detour, Leon steeled himself for any possible coming onslaught. Helena lived in a decent building, also not far from the White House, as their jobs had demanded. It wasn't the first time Leon had seen it, but it was the first time his arrival was unannounced. Climbing the stairs, Leon second-guessed himself, knowing he probably looked ridiculous showing up mid-run, but he was already here, might as well. Knocking on the door, the agent waited, and it wasn't long before his partner answered.

“Leon??? What are you doing here?” Helena immediately asked, her confusion plainly evident in her voice as she answered the door, looking over the strange sight. “Couldn't this wait for work? Wait… you're going to be late at this rate.”

“That's the thing. I had something come up that I need to deal with, and I need you to cover for me. I can't do anything this morning until I talk to Hunnigan, and she doesn't get there until 9.” Leon explained with a small shrug. Vague was better for right now, even if Helena was confused for the moment.

“Couldn't you have just sent me a text?” Helena asked, leaning against the door frame and cocking a brow as Leon shook his head. “Instead of showing up a sweaty mess at my door?”

“I needed to tell you something in person, off the books. I don't know when the next chance I'll have is.” He answered, and this earned a curious, yet suspicious look from his partner. Helena stood there, though, as if waiting for him to continue. It's a classified matter.”

“Ah. Okay. Come on in.” Helena nodded, moving out of the way, and closing the door behind them. Suddenly, she understood why he had made it look like he was just stopping by on his run, instead of full dress. “What is it Leon? What's going on?”

“Do you remember that soldier that was with Chris in China? The one that was there when we caught up to Ada.” Leon lead in, letting Helena make the connection. Watching it click with her, as she started to nod.

“Yeah. His partner, the one that died in the underwater rig?” The other agent asked, wondering where Leon was going with this. “We attended his memorial, right?”

“Yes, that's him.” Leon nodded, watching Helena as her interest began to pique.

“What about him? Why come to see me on your morning run, ask me to cover for you, and bring up Chris' deceased partner?” Helena questioned, narrowing her eyes and watching Leon in turn.

“He showed up at my apartment last night. He's asleep there now. Ada gave him my address and opened the window.” Leon informed her bluntly, and she stared at him blankly for a moment as the information processed. Gradually, the connection was made, and a plethora of emotions crossed her face, from disbelief, to shock, to understanding of the implications that he was infected, to finally land on an incredulous look.

“And you left him alone there!?!?!?” She almost screeched, but Leon gestured her voice down. “You have an infected “dead” soldier in your apartment, so you went for a RUN?” Helena scolded, using air quotes around the word “dead”. There it was, Leon cringed as he finally got the reaction he'd been expecting.

“Look, it's fine. He came to me. His condition is no worse off than Sherry right now. I came home to him curled up asleep in a chair in my living room.” Leon started to explain, holding up a finger as Helena opened her mouth to protest. “I woke him up and talked to him. He was too scared to go to Chris, so he came to me. He's probably read my old reports, he knew it was safe to come to me. He was a hungry, sleepy mess, so I made him dinner, and let him sleep, and told him we'd deal with it calmly in the morning.” Again Helena tried to interject, but Leon gestured a pause again. “You know my dog…”

“The one that hates everyone and everything but you?”

“The one that helped me kill a giant B.O.W. in Spain. Yes. She was curled up at the foot of the chair he was in. This morning she curled up with him instead of coming on my run.” Leon told her, and her jaw nearly dropped. There it was. If Leon's BOW killing survivor dog liked him, then maybe Piers wasn't a threat.

“Alright. Fine. I'll cover for you. Just. Be careful, Leon. If he's infected, it's the same thing as Simmons. You remember that fight.” Helena warned her partner, more concerned about how invested Leon got himself into these sorts of things than anything else.

“I know. I don't judge Sherry based on what the G-virus has done though. Or Manuela for what those with T-Veronica have done. It's the same thing here. Chris told me what really happened. Helena, he never once lost control, and he sacrificed himself for his Captain, and the world. I'm going to make sure he gets treated with respect.” Leon firmly stated, and finally earned a sigh and a nod from the other agent.

“Alright, Alright. Point made. You can handle yourself even if something did go wrong. No go on before you make me late too.” she finally conceded, shooing him out of her apartment so she could get to work on time.

\-----

Finally getting back to his apartment, Leon wasn't surprised to find that Piers was still sleeping. The poor guy had looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. However, this time, his dog did allow him to take her out to do her business.

After taking a quick shower, Leon put on a pot of coffee and started on a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. This was a luxury he usually didn't afford himself on weekday mornings, as he was always hurrying off to work, but this morning, all he had was time. Not to mention how gaunt Piers had looked last night compared to the soldier he'd seen in China. He probably needed some good food.

Soon enough, the smell of percolating coffee and sizzling bacon was enough to wake Piers, who came shuffling out to the kitchen. The soldier was wearing an oversized Washington DC hoodie that Leon had set out, groggy and yawning, his short hair a fuzzy mess from sleeping on it wet.

“Good morning.” Leon greeted, half watching Piers as he plopped himself down in one of the chairs at the table. Glancing at the man in the kitchen, Piers silently assessed that he was a morning person. The soldier had once been a morning person by military habit, but he was just so tired this morning, he couldn't manage it.

“Mornin'.” The younger mumbled, a hint of his home state of Texas coming out as he gave a small, tired wave. A few moments later, a cup of coffee was blessedly set before him, the cream and sugar already set out for him. Piers’ tired mind deemed Leon a miracle worker for making this glorious caffeinated bliss appear before him, before he set out to fix his coffee. Lots of sugar and a little cream.

“Sleep well?” The agent asked, glancing over at Piers before hissing and pulling his hand back as the bacon grease popped. The soldier at his table chuckled softly, shaking his head as Leon wiped the grease off and shook out his hand.

“Yeah, I did. Hey… uh... Thanks for letting me stay here… and for treating me like a person.” Piers said quietly, watching the other with vague amusement. “Why are you being so nice to me though? Giving me your bed, cooking me food? By all means, you should have turned me in to the government the moment you saw me.”

“Because it's the right thing to do.” Leon answered without hesitation, moving the bacon to a plate, and dumping the grease before starting on the eggs.

“The right thing to do? That should be taking me in for quarantine, testing, questioning…” Piers started, trailing off and shaking his head. He knew the procedure for infected.

“If that's the right thing to do, why didn't you turn yourself in to the B.S.A.A. directly? Why not go to Chris?” Leon asked, watching the other man as he looked down in shame. “Why come to me in the first place?”

“Because I was scared. I hoped you would treat me like a person first.” Piers admitted sheepishly, rolling the edge of his coffee cup on the table, hands around it for warmth. Sighing, Leon knew Piers already had his answer, he was just scared and nervous.

“I know the B.S.A.A.’s operatives read my reports. You know what happened to me in Spain.” The agent confirmed quietly.

“Yes.”

“You knew I've dealt with infected survivors before.”

“Yes.”

“That's why you trusted me.” Leon concluded, getting only a nod this time. Finishing cooking, Leon set the plates of food on the table and sat down across from Piers. “That's why I'm calling my field handler first, as soon as she gets into the office.”

“Oh…”

“She's been my handler since Spain, back in 2004. She knows almost everything. She was on my side when Simmons tried to frame me for the Tall Oaks attack. I trust her.” The agent confided, and Piers nodded, and relaxed, shoveling bacon and eggs onto his plate, Leon doing the same soon after.

“Piers, I'm going to tell you a story.” The older man said, and Piers looked up at him with one grey eye, the other icy blue, discolored from his mutation. Nodding, the soldier gave him the signal he was listening.

“When I was 21, I was recruited into Raccoon City's Select Police force.” This brought Piers’ attention in full, the young man peering up, looking at the other in surprise. Almost as though he hadn't expected Leon's involvement going back that far. In turn, the agent nodded and continued. “My alarm didn't go off and I was late for my first day on the job. What I drove into was a dead city. Have you ever encountered the mindless dead?” Leon asked, and Piers nodded.

“I’ve fought them alongside Chris before.” Piers answered, and Leon nodded before continuing.

“Almost immediately, I ran into Claire Redfield, who was there looking for Chris. We made for the Police Station, but got separated. She found a young girl hiding in the Police Station. Her mother had told her to go there for safety.” There was a pregnant pause as Leon collected his thoughts. “Her parents were Umbrella researchers, William and Annette Birkin.” With this, Piers’ eyebrows shot up, understanding he was talking about Sherry.

“Claire and I did our best to keep her safe, but she ran off looking for her father.” The agent suddenly looked distant, and turned away for a moment. Gathering himself, he continued. “Her father had infected himself with the G virus in fear after Umbrella tried to assassinate him. Or, that was the story Annette told to Claire. He mutated horribly, and the creature he became went on a rampage. G has some… nasty tendencies though. It has a need to reproduce, and will seek out the nearest genetic match to its host. When we found Sherry again, she had already been infected.” Leon heaved a heavy sigh, and shook his head, his bangs falling even more in his face. Piers stared at his coffee in somber thought for a moment. The young soldier hadn't expected to hear that.

“With directions from Annette, we got our hands on an antivirus they called Devil. It killed the majority of the infection, and ended up stabilizing what was left.” Leon simplified, mostly for Sherry's sake. “When we got out of the city, Claire left to go find her brother, and I took Sherry, promising her I'd protect her. The government… “rescued” us, for lack of a better term. A man named Dereck Simmons…”

“The national security advisor?

“Former,yes. Not yet at that time though. He took Sherry into his care, and used her safety as a threat to force me to work for the government.” Leon explained, and Piers interjected another question.

“That's how you became an agent?”

“Yes. My point though, is that he subjected Sherry to countless tests, made her live a life dictated by her infection. More time in labs than out. He treated her like a specimen, and then sent her to the DSO. I tried to get visitation with her, but he blocked me. Claire barely got to see her, and only briefly.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Piers finally asked, confused as to why Leon had told him all of this.

“You wanted to know why I was treating you like a human, and not a B.O.W.. Because you're one of the first surviving infected to show up after Simmons' death. I'm going to make sure you're treated better than Sherry was. Better than Manuela. Better than Jill Valentine would have been if her residual infection from Raccoon City had been detected sooner.”

“Wait what?” Piers asked, eyes wide at this bit of news. “She's still infected???” Giving a nod, Leon sat back in his chair.

“She's been treated well by the B.S.A.A. due to her long history of service before her presumed death and subsequent kidnapping by Wesker. From what I understand, her old Partner still holds her in extremely high esteem.” Leon prodded, and Piers caught on.

“You mean Captain Redfield.”

“I do. I told you he would understand.” Leon nodded, and gave him a smile. Thinking about this for a moment, Piers realized that perhaps he'd misjudged his Captain. Finally, he came to a realization.

“How do you know so much if it wasn't in the reports? I thought you hadn't met Chris until Claire formally introduced you recently.” Piers asked, looking at the other in mild confusion.

“I've known his sister since 1998. We kept in touch for the most part. Do you really think I never met Chris, or even Jill for that matter?” Leon asked, and Piers thought a moment before shrugging. “The Raccoon City survivors, or at least most of us, occasionally get together to check up on each other, catch up, and tell war stories. Off the books. We look out for each other, and we always have. Ever since Raccoon, that is.”

“Wait, really?” Piers asked, not having heard of this, surprised that the survivors had flat out ignored so much red tape. In turn, Leon nodded.

“Usually most of us show up every year. Ryman only came once or twice, claimed he didn't fit in well enough and never came back. Though he's one of the one that didn't have connections with the rest of us during the outbreak. Olivera is anyone's guess most years. If Chris is hosting, he never comes, if Jill hosts, he's always there. Any other year you never know.” Leon rambled, smiling as his dog inched closer to Piers and his bacon. “And of course, Sera comes every year since I rescued her.”

“Sarah?” The soldier asked, furrowing his brow. He didn't recognize that name. That was, until Leon pointed to the dog. “Sarah is your dog? How is she a survivor?”

“Not Sarah, Sera. S-e-r-a.” Leon corrected, taking the effort to accent the pronunciation, and spell it out. “She's a B.O.W. killer. She survived Spain. I saved her from a bear trap, and she helped me kill what the Los Illuminados called an El Gigante. I went back to find her after I got the President's daughter out. I named her after a fallen friend.”

“The researcher from your report?”

“Luis. Yes.” Leon confirmed with a nod. “Her paw is a little gimpy in bad weather, but we all have our injuries.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Piers asked, knowing Leon was going somewhere with this.

“You're a survivor, and a hero now, Piers. You're not just a soldier in the B.S.A.A., you're one of us. We're going to make sure you're taken care of.” Leon assured him, looking at him dead on, showing he was serious.

“I-... I'm no hero.” Piers shook his head, closing in on himself again. Leon sighed, shook his head, and checked the time. Time to get dressed before the phone call he'd been dreading. Getting up, he started to clear his plate, but then looked at Piers.

“Whether you want to believe your actions were heroic, or not… you saved countless lives with what you did.” Sighing, Leon decided to offer an alternative to taking him in to the DSO. “Piers… if I call my field handler, your custody goes to the U.S. government. You may have a difficult time getting back to the B.S.A.A. if that's where you want to be. I can still call Chris, if you'd rather go through their channels.”

Sitting in quiet contemplation for a few moments, Piers weighed his options on a full night's sleep and a good meal or two. Finally, he let out a sigh, and shook his head.

“The B.S.A.A. treats an infection as a conflict of interest. The DSO has at least one infected agent working for them. If I ever get a green light to go back into the field, it won't come through the B.S.A.A..” The younger soldier finally decided with a nod, turning to look Leon in the eye, his resolve unwavering.

“Alright. Best if you got dressed before I make the call. I don't know if they'll send a team to bring you in, or if they'll let me walk you in. Hopefully, with the way things are now, they'll let me bring you in myself. I am the founding agent, after all.” Leon told him, before turning to go find clean clothes for the both of them.

Knowing full well he was likely going to have to deal with a day full of inquiries, and meetings, Leon chose a nice pair of dark grey slacks and a blue Oxford shirt for himself. Cringing at the thought of a tie, he put one in his coat pocket in case things got too formal. For Piers, Leon set out a pair of nice dark jeans or black slacks and a choice of shirt colors for him. It wasn't what Leon would choose if he could, but with the likelihood of dealing with bureaucrats, it was better to look presentable. Yet another thing Leon disliked about his job when he wasn't in the field.

Shyly coming to the door, Piers knocked lightly, and leaned on the frame. Leon turned, his own clothes in hand, and thumbed towards what he had laid out.

“I gave you a little bit of a choice. I hope it's not too far off.” Leon tried to laugh it off, an apologetic tone in his voice.

“It'll be fine. Kinda fancy, though, don't you think?” Piers commented, looking at the choices, then back at Leon.

“There's likely to be a formal inquest. It’s going to pay to dress nice. I don't like it either.” Leon actually chuckled this time, holding up his own choices, before heading to the bathroom to change.

Approaching the laid out choices, Piers weighed his options carefully. He hadn't ever had to dress himself for any sort of formal anything. Outside of his dress uniform, that was. That was simple though. Put on the uniform, make sure it's pristine, and go. Finally picking, the soldier took the black slacks and a beige shirt. It was closest to what he knew.

Leon finished first, not bothering to tuck his shirt. The agent had gradually become more and more adverse to the idea of wearing this crap formally, especially as his duties had lead him into blending with a crowd to watch for threats. Making his way out to the living room, he retrieved his phone, took a deep breath, and dialed Hunnigan.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon informs Hunnigan of the situation with Piers, and works out a plan to bring him in. On the way, Leon divulges the truth about Ada and Carla to a still angry Piers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, I'm so sorry It's been so long since I updated. My situation changed for a while, and I wasn't able to write as freely as I had been previously. I've also recently found renewed inspiration for the story after having been stuck on a scene for a while. Whereas I had had a vague idea of where I was going with this before, I've worked out a few more details, and I'm excited for this plot.

“Leon? Is there something wrong? You aren’t scheduled for the field today.” Came the surprised voice of Ingrid Hunnigan from the other end of the line. Leon should have known it would surprise the woman for his number to show up today.

“Nothing’s wrong. I swear. I just have something I need your help with this morning. Can you look up a file for me?” Leon assured her before starting with his lead in to Piers’ survival and subsequent appearance in his apartment.

“Sure thing. What do you need?” Hunnigan asked, sounding chipper, and ready to help.

“Can you look up Piers Nivans of the B.S.A.A. for me?” Leon asked, glancing at Piers as he came out of the other room, buttoning the cuffs of his shirt.

“Of course. Just a moment.” Hunnigan answered, and there was a moment of silence in which Leon could hear the clicking of keys on her keyboard for once. After a moment, her voice came back on. “Okay, I’ve got it. Piers Nivans, Deceased, Aged 26 at time of death. Formerly partnered with Captain Chris Redfield. What else do you need to know?”

“I need you to update his status from “deceased” to “alive”.” The agent told her as simply as he could, seeing Piers freeze for a moment, looking at Leon like a deer caught in headlights.

“What? Why? I’m not quite sure I follow, Leon. it says here he died in an underwater oil rig after assisting in the rescue of Sherry Birkin, and Jake Muller in July of this year. How can he be alive, Leon?” The woman asked, the sound of her voice taking on a somewhat suspicious tone. “What are you not telling me, Leon?”

“He showed up at my apartment, alive, and mind intact. I’m looking at him as we speak. Hunnigan, according to Captain Redfield, he’s infected with the same strain of C that Simmons was.” Leon informed her carefully and was met with silence from the other end, as well as Piers looking away from him shamefully. Finally, he heard a deep exhale of breath, and the sound of typing again.

“I understand. I’ll inform the proper channels. Do you need him to be picked up, or can you bring him in yourself?” She finally asked, her voice belying her nerves. It wasn’t every day that one of her operatives called her about an infected survivor.

“I think for everyone’s benefit, it would be best if I walk him in myself, I got Helena to cover me this morning. Hunnigan, he’s as perfectly functioning and human as Agent Birkin.” This earned him a somewhat surprised look from Piers, to whom he gave a comforting nod.

“Alright, I’ll alert the medical staff. Are you sure he’s going to come in willingly and submit to all the tests they’re going to want to run?” Hunnigan asked hesitantly, not as sure about the situation as Leon sounded.

“I’m sure, we already spoke about it. He’s willing to do whatever it takes.” A pause, as Leon looked to Piers, who gave him a solid nod, his mismatched eyes determined as they watched the agent as he spoke on the phone. “And Hunnigan, let’s make his experience better than Sherry’s, okay?” A sigh came from the other end, and Leon knew that Hunnigan understood his passion about this topic.

“Alright. You bring him in, I’ll have the teams waiting for you when you get here.” His field handler informed him, then spoke up again. “Leon, please be careful. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this under control. I promise. I’ll see you later. Leon out.” The agent told her, giving her a moment to respond.

“I certainly hope so. See you soon.” She replied, and with that, Leon hung up. He looked at Piers, who seemed somewhat anxious as he watched the agent put away his phone.

“You alright? You still sure about this?” Leon asked, watching the anxiety in Piers’ frame.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I can’t run from this forever. I’d rather do some good than waste away in some hole on the run.” The soldier affirmed with a solid nod, looking the agent square in the eyes. Returning the nod, Leon retrieved his keys, and led the way out of his apartment.

\-----

Something about the fact that Leon drove a newer silver Jeep Wrangler surprised Piers. From what the Soldier knew of him, the agent didn’t really seem the type, but apparently he was wrong. After all, he’d only formally known Leon for less than half a day. Then again, from all the reports he’d read, Leon was just as gung-ho in the field as Chris, so maybe he was the type after all. The other man simply seemed at odds with himself sometimes. Then again, he had managed to go toe-to-toe with Chris back in China.

Regardless, Piers now sat in the passenger seat of Leon’s hard top Jeep, watching the scenery of Washington, DC go by as Leon drove them to the DSO headquarters, also not far off from the White House, by what Leon had said about how shortly they would be there. Something had been weighing on his mind though, and he couldn’t help but ask Leon about it.

“I have a question…” Piers began, earning a glance from Leon as the agent drove.

“Shoot.” Came his simple reply, showing that the agent was further relaxing in his company, and that this wasn’t all just a show to bring him in quietly.

“Last night, when I told you I woke up with your address in my pocket, and that the window was already unlocked, you told me I had a guardian angel that wanted you to help me. What did you mean by that?” The younger man asked, watching Leon as he froze for a moment, tensing up as though he was hiding something.

“You’re not going to like the answer. Are you sure you want it?” Leon finally spoke, glancing at Piers again.

“I am. You think you know who got me out of that place, don’t you? The same person who sent me to you. Who do you think it was?” The soldier asked, and Leon felt his blood run cold. He’d had a chance to get the explanation from Ada since the incident, that there was a body double, claiming to be her, the woman that Chris and Piers had been chasing. The agent knew this wasn’t going to go well when he told him his life had been saved by Ada Wong. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself to break that news to the younger man.

“I believe you were sent to me by Ada Wong…” Leon told him straight up, like ripping off a bandaid. The reaction that followed was not far from what he was expecting.

“No fucking way.” Piers growled, glaring at Leon, the man who had protected that bitch back in China. Without even thinking about it, Piers could feel a tingle of electricity in his arm at the mention of the woman who had destroyed Chris’ team not once, but twice. “She’s dead. We watched her die. Why would she save me anyways? Chris and I were trying to kill her. You remember that, at least, don’t you?”

“What was she wearing when you saw her die?” Leon asked simply, noting Piers’ agitation at the mention of Ada. Of course, the last time the man had seen Piers, he’d had a gun aimed at Ada’s double back in China.

“Same she was wearing when you stopped us from killing that bitch that killed our team.” Piers nearly spat, the anger growing in him at the thought of Ada doing anything to help him. “Blue dress, red scarf.”

“No. You’re mistaken. That wasn’t really Ada. That was a body double named Carla, created by Dereck Simmons. He was obsessed with Ada, and used to C-virus to ‘clone’ her. The ‘Ada’ you were chasing legitimately thought she was the real one. The real Ada, the Ada I’ve known since Raccoon City, was wearing a red shirt and leather pants, and wielded a crossbow.” Leon told him, shaking his head as he divulged the truth that Ada had made him privy to, despite having destroyed the evidence of it herself. This gave Piers a moment’s pause. If Leon could have spared more than a glance from the road, he would have practically been able to see the wheels turning in the soldier’s brain.

Thinking back, something Piers had seen on the aircraft carrier suddenly made sense. He’d dismissed it at the time, but he had seen Ada wearing a red shirt through a door, but she was gone moments later. Only minutes later, the Ada they caught up to was wearing the blue dress and red scarf. At the time, Piers hadn’t given it any more thought other than to think perhaps it was just the scarf he’d been seeing covering the blue of the dress, but now that Leon said something, he couldn’t deny that he’d seen Ada in a red shirt. Not even the most vain person would switch clothes back and forth like that in the middle of being chased, would they?

“She knew we wanted to kill her though, body double or not, why would she risk saving my life?” Piers finally asked, watching Leon intently, waiting for his answer.

“I’m not really sure. Her usual M.O. is stealing samples, not Bioterrorism. She’s saved my neck a few times in the past though. It’s likely she went to the rig to steal a sample of what Neo Umbrella was working on down there. She probably took a sample of your blood too. Then, it’s likely she felt bad for you because of what Carla did, and got you out.” Leon explained what his theory on the matter was, sparing another glance at the younger man.

“You really trust her, don’t you? Why?” Piers asked, bewildered by how cavalier Leon was about such a woman, especially knowing what he did about her taking virus samples.

“Let’s just say we’ve had a long history, okay? We’ve saved each other’s lives more times than either of us care to count.” The agent supplied, a small smile coming to his lips that wasn’t lost on Piers.

He was just about to ask Leon something when the agent turned the Jeep into a gated parking garage, and Piers immediately fell silent. This almost felt like he was willingly going into someplace he’d never get out of. The soldier watched in silence as Leon badged himself in through the gate, and remained silent as they drove through. As Leon began to circle looking for a spot, Piers cleared his throat and asked the question that had been on his mind a moment ago.

“You love her, don’t you?”

This earned a wide eyed stare from Leon as the question registered with the agent. Pursing his lips, he forced himself to look back at his current task of driving, his heart feeling like it was about to pound out of his chest. Leon wasn’t even sure how to answer this question himself, let alone give a proper answer to a man who might still want to kill Ada.

“It’s… Complicated.” Came Leon’s reluctant answer as he turned into the first open parking spot he’d seen so far. Without another word, Leon parked, cut the engine, and got out of the car. All the while he was rushing to compose himself, and think of something to say to change the subject. There was a time a snarky reply would have come easily, but not today. Today all he could do was change the subject.

“The moment we get inside, there’s going to be a team waiting to take you into a lab for testing. It’s in your best interest to stay calm, and cooperate with anything they ask of you. I’m going to be doing my part to vouch for you. Just behave yourself, and be as honest as you can. Best case scenario, you become an agent.” Leon started rambling, desperate for Piers to get the hint not to talk about the former subject any more, least of all within this building. Another secret, like the way the survivors communicated off the books. Piers seemed to understand the dual meaning of the topic change, and decided to drop it. At least for the time being. After all, he himself had had “unofficial” communications with Claire all the way up to being deployed in China. However, this was going to burn in his brain until he got a proper answer, but right now, there were other things at hand.

“Leon, can you do me a favor? Can you tell Chris that I’m alive?” Piers asked as he followed Leon towards a bank of elevators. Leon spared him a glance as the soldier fell into stride a step behind him.

“If this all goes well, you should tell him yourself.” Came Leon’s answer as he hit the call button for the elevators. Turning to look at Piers, he caught a look that was somewhere between fear, and shame. The agent really did feel sorry for him that he was in this predicament, but Chris needed to hear from Piers himself before he’d be inclined to believe it was actually true. Not something Carlos had put him up to just to fuck with the guy. Leon thought those two needed to get over their rivalry over Jill at some point. It really was just ridiculous sometimes.

“I… I’m scared to.” Came the meekest reply from Piers that Leon had ever heard. Letting out a sigh as the Elevator pinged and a set of doors opened, Leon led the way in.

“I can set it up if all goes well, but he needs to hear from you personally to believe it. He’s been my friend for a long time, and the only other time I’ve ever seen him this down was when he thought Jill was dead. Promise me that you’ll talk to him.” Leon requested of him as the elevator doors closed behind them, and Leon hit the button for the lobby.

“Fine, if it means that much to you, I’ll talk to him. He won’t understand my choice to go to the DSO instead of the B.S.A.A. though.” Piers commented, folding his arms and leaning against the wall of the elevator.

“He doesn’t have to. He just needs to know you’re alive.” Leon insisted, and was met with a heavy sigh heaved out by the younger soldier.

“Fine, if you insist.” Piers responded, the sadness and fear evident in his voice. Watching the floor counter, the soldier steeled himself as they reached the lobby. With a chime of the bell, the elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open.


	4. Tests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Piers’ welcome at the DSO is not as smooth as Leon had hoped, the agent shows his protective side over the soldier, and somehow manages to diffuse the situation. Not making the same mistake he made with Sherry, Leon accompanies Piers for his initial tests and intake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This chapter has been edited. It’s not a major thing, but I wanted to add a couple minor details that may or may not influence possible future plot bunnies.*
> 
> I apologize in advance to anyone who was enjoying the lack of shipping and whatnot in this fic. I had already written this chapter before I received any such comments. (Yes, I am a damned slow writer, I know, and I apologize. I have written twice what’s been posted, at least. However, I hold stuff back until I start making progress again here and there as life allows. I also just sorta forget to post. So, i’m Sorry for that.) Not that there’s anything outright shippy in this chapter, but there’s a small measure of a moment of interest and questioning. There’s also a moment that may or may not hint at possible previous relationships, if you squint. Though, from what I’ve already written, there will be a ship that shows up, but even then, it’s no more of a plot point than the relationship between these two characters is in cannon, and doesn’t go much beyond what has been hinted at in cannon.

The lobby was a bustling mix of people, and it immediately made Piers nervous as he followed Leon out across the busy area. On the other side of the lobby, Leon spotted Hunnigan waiting, surrounded by a number of men in suits. Of course, better not to have the science staff waiting around in Lab coats, just send escorts to bring Piers straight to the scientists. Suddenly, Leon himself was nervous of the whole arrangement. However, walking Piers across a room full of people was about the best case he could make for the other being a functioning human, and not a dangerous, mindless infected B.O.W.. No, Leon would make a show that Piers was no more dangerous than Sherry.

 

Making their way across, Piers fell in behind Leon, and the shift in the older man’s demeanor was almost palpable. The way his stride changed as they moved became familiar, powerful, disciplined, and well trained. Military. This was a side of Leon that Piers had only glimpsed back in China when Leon had fought with his Captain. So it seemed his casual demeanor was more show than he had previously thought.

 

As they reached Hunnigan, and the low level agents, Leon deliberately put himself between them, and Piers. Even if the soldier hadn’t already been behind him, Leon held out his arm to signal him to stay back a moment. Piers wasn’t sure why, but he got the feeling that Leon was protective by nature, and that he wanted to make sure this went well.

 

“We’ll take it from here, Leon. You need to report to medical, and then be debriefed.” Hunnigan spoke first, her tone formal, glancing at the soldier behind him. Piers wasn’t dull to the fact that the woman’s eyes swept the scars on his face before settling on his discolored eye. Shifting nervously, Piers was thankful when Leon moved to block her view.

 

“No go, Hunnigan. I go with him. The days of Simmons are over. Piers is a human being, and he’s going to be treated as such. I’m going to make sure of it.” Leon bolstered, eyes darting to the men waiting to take Piers into custody. “They want to test me too, right? They can do that in the same place. There’s no way I’m letting them take him off alone.”

 

“Alright, fine.” Letting out a frustrated sigh, Hunnigan tried to shake her head, but it became a hesitant nod. “I suppose there’s no harm in letting you chapparone. Don’t expect the higher ups to be pleased though.” She warned, glancing at Piers again before gesturing for the two of them to follow.

 

Being ushered to a bank of elevators, the other agents moved to block passage for anyone else approaching the bank. Leon could sense Piers tensing at this as he stood beside him. Reaching out, he put a hand on the younger man’s left shoulder. The soldier snapped to look at the other as he was touched, but the look in his eyes said ‘’relax”. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down as much as he could as the familiar ding of the bell sounded, and a set of doors opened up. Boarding, Piers kept so close to Leon they were nearly touching, but Leon didn’t seem to mind.

 

The ride up was silent, Leon exchanged a glance with Hunnigan, who gave him something of a sympathetic look in return. She understood why Leon was risking so much. They’d discussed at least a little bit about his past before they had been assigned to each other, including Sherry, and also about Manuella. There was also the events in Spain, in which Leon himself had been a forced host to a Las Plagas parasite. Not to mention the way Leon had acted when he had come back from Eastern Slav. Something about his interactions with Alexander Kozachenko had distressed the agent. It was understandable that Leon was passionate about making sure Piers was treated well in this case. That didn’t mean there wasn’t going to be a hell of a lot of red tape here, or that their superiors were going to take kindly to Leon’s demands. After all, there was a new president now. Leon’s friend, Adam Benford was dead, and he simply no longer had the connections to be sticking his neck out like this.

 

\-----

 

The labs were as cold, white, and sterile as one would expect. Piers glanced at Leon, who had insisted on staying with him, even when he had been ordered to wait outside. The look on Leon’s face had been intense, almost like he was ready to deck the offending scientist in the face. Unsure of exactly why Leon was so hellbent on staying by his side, Piers could only guess it had to do with Sherry having been taken from him all those years ago. Nevertheless, the former soldier appreciated the gesture. He wasn’t sure he could handle being alone with the scientists, this sterile white environment, and all the tests they were about to perform on him.

 

Sitting down on the examination table, Piers glanced at Leon before watching the scientist as the man readied a phlebotomy. Of course, that would be the first step. Piers could feel his heart rate rising, but took a few deep breaths to calm down. There was no other choice but to cooperate with the tests, prove he was as normal as he could be. That he wasn’t dangerous, or a threat to anyone. Rolling up his sleeve, Piers held his arm out for the balding man in the white lab coat to insert the needle into his vein. As his blood was drawn, he could feel Leon’s eyes on him. Turning to look at the agent, he saw the other alternating between him and the scientist. Obviously, he was trying to make sure Piers was okay, and that they weren’t doing anything funny to him. Having that kind of watchful eye on him actually made Piers crack a little smile. Maybe he had made a good choice in going to Leon.

 

After they had enough of his blood for all the tests they wanted to run, the scientist took off his gloves and put on a new pair.

 

“Your turn, agent Kennedy.” The scientist announced, pointing at Leon, then gesturing him to take a seat. Doing as he was told, Leon rolled his sleeve up and held out his arm. The tourniquet was quickly tied off, and the sample taken. Once he was done, the tech labeled the samples, then carried them out of the room as Leon returned to his perch.

 

Another scientist, or lab tech, or whatever they were, (Piers didn’t know) came in to take a tissue sample from his right arm. The one that had mutated. Grinning and bearing it as a younger blond tech took a biopsy sample from his arm, Piers could feel the tissue of his arm around the biopsy site begin to knit itself back together. It was the strangest feeling, but sure enough the small wound closed up before the tech could bandage it for him.

 

“Huh… Guess we don’t need this then, huh?” The tech asked, a look of amusement on his face. It was almost as though he’d seen this before. Of course, unbeknownst to him, this was the same facility that handled Sherry Birkin’s regular testing. The lab techs had almost all seen what her healing ability could do.

 

“Guess not.” Piers responded, suddenly in better humor than he’d arrived in. He was actually being treated like a person, which was better than he’d expected. In all honestly, he’d expected to be torn away from Leon, strapped to a gurney, and stuck in isolation with all the scientists in biohazard suits before they came near him. “You look like you’ve seen this before.”

 

“You’re not the first person that heals quickly to come though my lab.” The tech answered, this one was younger, and easier going than the older man who’d taken his blood.

 

“Sherry?” Leon finally spoke, confirming what he’d suspected. The tech just nodded and hummed a confirmation as he filled out the paperwork for the sample he’d taken. Sherry had told him it was one of the things the G virus still affected. Having now witnessed Piers healing, he had a better idea of what she had meant. Of course, it made sense that this might be an after effect of Piers’ C-Virus infection. The recovered data on the virus had said that it was created by mixing G and the T-Veronica virus. Not to mention that Piers’ body was very much intact now after his initial mutation. Chris had told him about how Piers had nearly lost his arm before he injected himself with the virus, and how his arm had mutated in response. It seemed to have completely reformed itself, perhaps in the aftermath of the collapse of the underwater facility. It was very much on Leon’s To-Do list to ask Ada if she had anything to do with Piers getting out of there. If he knew Ada, she had probably gone poking around the facility looking for samples of whatever Neo-Umbrella had been working on down there, and taken pity on the soldier.

 

Once the tech left the room, Piers breathed an audible sigh of relief, earning him a raised brow from Leon, who was leaning against a counter not far from him, arms folded over his chest.

 

“Relieved?” Leon asked, watching Piers as he leaned back and supported his weight with his arms behind him on the table.

 

“I thought they were going to lock me up in isolation or something. Only touch me while wearing biohazard suits.” Piers almost chuckled at the thought of it, and shook his head. “This is a lot better.”

 

“It’s changed a lot since Simmons’ time here. Sherry and I spearheaded the new way of doing things. I hope you don’t mind being the guinea pig, but you’re the first new infected person to come though the new system.” Leon explained, and somehow it made Piers feel a little better, despite being the first. They were trying, and that meant the world to him right now. This was probably the better choice than going to Chris and the B.S.A.A. after all.

 

“I don’t mind. I still feel better with you here though. Thanks for staying.” Piers admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he thanked the agent.

 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Leon responded, then glanced towards the door as a female doctor came into the room. Smiling at the two of them, she picked up Piers’ chart.

 

“I’m Dr. Timms. I’ll be conducting your physical, Mr. Nivans. Agent Kennedy, would you mind leaving the room for just a little while? I promise you you can come right back, I just need him to change into a gown.” The brunette woman asked, holding up a folded hospital gown. Piers groaned at the thought of Leon leaving, but he wasn’t about to change in front of him.

 

“Just out in the hall? I think I can do that.” Leon nodded in response, glancing at Piers again. It wasn’t like he was leaving him alone with a doctor, she’d be stepping out too. So maybe the agent was a little paranoid. Though, he had good reason after what Simmons had done to him to get Sherry away from him, and the things she had been subjected to without him there to protect her. Stepping out into the hallway with  Dr. Timms, Leon could feel his anxiety rising, but forced himself to calm down. This was about Piers, not about what had happened back in 1998. Things were different now because of him. Things were better now.

 

A few minutes later, Piers sheepishly opened the door, and stuck his head out to find Leon and the doctor standing in awkward silence in the hallway. It made him chuckle lightly, and shake his head.

 

“Ready?” Dr. Timms asked, and Piers nodded, heading back for the table, and the two of them followed him back into the room. Leon went back to his place leaning against the counter, and once again folded his arms.

 

Going about a standard physical, the doctor worked quickly, experienced. It seemed as though she wasn’t bothered by Piers’ infection, and that he was just another patient. Was she really that used to dealing with infected? Was this the doctor that saw Sherry, and Manuela? She spent an extra moment checking Pier’s discolored eye, ensuring that he had full vision in it. Once she was finished with the standard exam, she moved to examine the pinkish skin on Piers’ face. Following the branching scars down his neck, she tugged at the collar of his gown slightly, then moved to his right arm. Picking up both his hands, she compared the skin tone of his arms, noting the difference in color.

 

“What happened to your arm?” She asked, not looking up at him, but setting down his left hand and started running her gloved hands over his right arm, examining the muscle structure. It almost felt like a small electric current was flowing through his arm as she touched him. Piers gulped, and looked at Leon, who nodded.

 

“Mutated.” He answered plainly, watching her nod, then saw it hit her as she looked up to meet his mismatched eyes.

 

“Could you put your pants back on and remove the gown? I want to see the extent of your scarring.” Dr. Timms asked, finally setting his right hand down. Doing as he was asked, Piers pulled his pants back on then took off the gown, revealing the pink scars branching out over his chest. “What exactly happened to your arm?”

 

“I got grabbed by the arm by a B.O.W., and thrown like a doll. I think that dislocated it. My shoulder got impaled on some debris. After I pulled myself off it, I injected myself with the C-Virus to try and save my Captain. My whole arm and shoulder mutated. I think it branched out over my face and chest. That’s as far as it went though. I never lost control. I could um… well, it was generating electricity that I could discharge at will. Kinda like lightning.” Piers explained, keeping his eyes on his arm as he remembered what it had felt like. His arm tingled like static as he thought about it. Was he still capable of producing electricity? That was an interesting question he’d like to find the answer to later. Nodding, Dr. Timms examined the branching scars, pressing on the borders between regrown flesh, and preexisting flesh. During this examination, her attention found its way to another scar on his chest, and he watched nervously as she glanced to the other side of his chest. Piers cleared his throat and looked away from her, nodding as he could feel her eyes on him. She nodded in turn and went back to the original focus of the exam. To her surprise, but not Piers’, there wasn’t much difference in the regrown flesh, except that the new flesh was soft. It wasn’t scar tissue, but new flesh.

 

“And how long has it been since the incident?” Dr. Timms asked, waiting for Piers to make eye contact.

 

“About a month.” Piers answered, shifting slightly on the examination table.

 

“And you’ve not had any sort of medical care since?” She clarified, and Piers caught on.

 

“That’s correct.” He responded, wondering what was actually in her mind.

 

“Thank you. I’m going to have a tech come in and take some photos of this, and then you can move on to the next portion of your intake.” The doctor explained, before removing her gloves, and exiting the room.

 

Glancing at Leon, Piers caught the other looking, as he quickly averted his eyes like he’d been caught. The ex soldier couldn’t tell if the other was just looking at the bizarre pattern over his skin, or if he’d actually been looking at his figure. Wait, was Leon gay? That thought hadn’t quite crossed Piers’ mind before now, but the slight tinge of pink on the other’s cheeks made him wonder. It sure would explain the hell out of his pretty boy hair, though. Not that it bothered Piers in the least, it was just an interesting question he now had about the agent.

 

Clearing his throat, Leon knew he’d been caught looking at Piers, and the flush on his cheeks from the embarrassment of it was sure not to go unnoticed. The agent just hoped Piers wouldn’t take offense to it. However, he’d gotten the sense from Chris that there might have been something beyond a working relationship between him and Piers. It wasn’t a question he was about to pursue though.

 

Though there was no denying that the sniper was well built.

 

Shaking it off, Leon forced those thoughts away, and an old, bitter wound bit back at him. Chris was a lucky man. The people he cared about always came back from the grave. He’d buried both Jill and Piers, and both of them had returned. Leon wasn’t even able to bury Luis, but eight years later, he still hadn’t returned. They had barely known each other, it wasn’t like they had anything. Still, it haunted him to this day. Sure, he hadn’t been able to bury Ada after Raccoon city, and she had come back. She just never stayed long enough before she left again. With her, Leon had come to expect her to come back from anything, but it still scared him that he may never see her again every time she left his side. She might have been the part of him he’d never been able to let go, but she was something he couldn’t hold either. Yes, Chris was a lucky man indeed.

 

A few moments of awkward silence later, another tech came in with a camera, and began giving Piers instructions on how to move so he could take the necessary photos to document the regrowth from the mutation.

 

When the photographic documentation was finished, the tech handed Piers a small box. Giving him a quizzical look, the soldier checked the label. A tiny smile crept onto his lips, and he nodded in thanks. Glancing at Leon, who was still awkwardly avoiding looking in his direction, Piers slipped the box into his pocket. 

 

After that tech left, Piers went to put his shoes back on, followed by his shirt. Buttoning it back up, and tucking it in, he finally decided to break the silence.

 

“So, what’s next?” Piers asked, not looking at Leon as he fixed his belt.

 

“Psych eval. They want to make sure you’re stable enough to not be a threat. Making sure you’re in control, and not the virus. That sort of thing.” Leon explained, now looking anywhere but at Piers. It would be unbearable if he got caught looking again. Maybe he was being a little too obvious about not looking though. Jeez, this sucked. He hadn’t meant to find Piers attractive, it just sort of happened. Why did this always happen to him? “I’m just not allowed to join for that one.”

 

“Oh joy.”


End file.
